Thoughts on the New York Rangers stories that haven’t been discussed yet

We are thirteen games into the New York Rangers season and the Rangers are a very average 6-5-2. Consider how It’s terrible that they played at homeit’s hard to complain about the overall record. Still, a team with Igor Shesterkin and Adam Fox playing excellent hockey in top positions should have higher expectations. Regardless, there are some New York Rangers stories that have yet to come to fruition and haven’t necessarily been discussed in detail yet.

The role of Matt Rempe

One of those less talked about stories about the New York Rangers concerns Matt Rempe. REmpe was promoted to the NHL and immediately started fighting and became a sideshow. Here’s what was expected of him in the NHL and why he made a notable promotion in the first place. Still, Rempe has shown flashes of being a legitimately talented fourth-line winger early in his career. Sure, he may never lose his reputation as an enforcer, but Rempe’s game doesn’t match Ryan Reaves’ in style.

Rempe is expected to miss much of this season due to an injury sustained in a fight. I started writing this expecting to argue how stupid fighting is, but the reality is that as long as it’s legal, it will happen. As long as it will happen, Rempe is the guy opponents will go to for fights.

So I will never fully understand the role. Somehow, Rempe simultaneously fills the role of valuable fourth liner and true enforcer. Rempe will play a lot of games where he will provide a lot of value, and then deliberately bench himself for five minutes at a time. He will be at greater risk for future injuries, but he will maintain a reputation that will attract organizations.

I hope Rempe can stay healthy.

Adam Fox can’t do it all himself

There has been a lot of talk about Adam Fox’s stellar defensive season, but it’s hard not to wonder how much of an impact it has had on the team offensively. As we continue to talk about why the Rangers have struggled as much as they have offensively, I haven’t seen many people point out Fox’s increased defensive responsibility.

Fox is an offensive mind for the whole world (i.e not (an indictment of his defensive play, to be clear) on a team completely lacking in offensive production from the blue line. At most times on any given night, the Rangers will have little to no offensive force on defense. That matters! Fox’s new role seems to be working wonders defensively (especially considering Jacob Trouba previously primarily played the defensive role), but the Rangers are in real trouble when it comes to attacking the opposition.

Scott Morrow would be a great fit in that regard, but he may not be quite ready for the NHL just yet. Either way, unless Braden Schneider can find some other gear, look for this trend to continue.

Alexis Lafreniere breaks my heart

Finally, a thought about my favorite player (yes, really). Alexis Lafreniere continues to get glorious opportunities and sets up his linemates for glorious opportunities. Fine! But nothing goes in the back of the net. That’s bad! I’m always one to argue that results are more important than anything else, so it’s time I was honest with myself. I have long accepted that Lafreniere would never be a Hart prospect or even a top forward on his team, but I did believe Lafreniere could be a 75-85 point player after his postseason breakout in 2024.

Right now I think Lafreniere’s ceiling is a fine top six forward who can show flashes that make you wonder if there’s more to him. Admittedly, even that is no longer certain.

Hopefully Lafreniere can see some of his chances capitalized as the substitute has attracted a lot of vitriol from the fan base.